I know you all want more food news on restaurants that are just opening. Believe me when I tell you that I’m working on it–right now I’m editing and writing, and editing takes a lot more time than you know. I won’t ask you to be patient much longer… But for now, just a few quick notes:
I think Pearl’s Oyster Bar on South Main opens tomorrow (May 2), but I’ll get more on that to you when I get back to the office in the a.m.
Looks like Meditrina has closed.
I haven’t been to Flying Fish yet, but I have a friend who goes for lunch and likes it, plus Macrae from the blog (she’s a great cook and knows what she’s talking about) has been there and likes it. She tells me that on Sundays, they have 25-cent oysters. My friend Mimmye, also a great cook and wonderful critic, likes the Flying Fish in Little Rock (it’s a small chain, no more than a handful of locations).
Here’s the deal on reviewing restaurants: You really need to give a place 90 days before you publish a review. It takes that long to get your feet. I gave Interim 3 well deserved stars last week, but if I’d reviewed the place when it first opened, it would’ve been less. I made the mistake early on of trying a few places that had only been open a month or so, and it’s just not fair to the restaurateurs to review that early. However, I’m wondering if maybe we should do a “First Bite” review–something brief, but that lets you know our (mine or Fredric’s) first impression and gives you an overview of the menu. I know there are a lot of places opening. Tell me what you think.
Also, tomorrow look for my cover story on paella in the Food section, and check out appealtv.com to see footage of the paella party and a recent tapas class at Mantia’s. I LOVE Spanish food and am so glad it’s the MIM country this year.
Uncategorized
Responses to “Brief food notes”
May 2nd, 2007 at 11:30 am
First Bite is a nice idea, but I kind of agree with you that it might be best to just wait on anything resembling a review. But maybe feed our hunger for news by just listing the basics of interesting new openings: location, price, cuisine type. You could also use the same spot to share info like: “Los Compadres on Poplar finally built a real patio–YEA!” And I suppose you could also have restaurant obits…I’m sad to hear that Meditrina’s gone.
May 2nd, 2007 at 1:16 pm
I like the idea of the First Bite review, but it would probably necessitate a return trip quicker than you might want to make it in order to report favorably on any deficiencies. I had noticed Los Compadres on Poplar had more traffic recently, so thanks to Kate I now know why! I noticed they had painted the exterior & have been showing Oscar De La Hoya fights on cable TV. Hope that location continues to do well because I miss the Cuban restaurant that went out of business there before Los Compadres took over. I am sad about Meditrina’s demise too. But I really think they were so small & had such a limited menu that it wouldn’t attract repeat customers very often. I really enjoyed the hanger steak & appetizer platter with olives, dips & pita bread when I went.
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Another glowing review for Flying Fish, here.
Food’s good, atmosphere’s fun, and the service style is perfect for Downtown lunch-breakers who want to sit down but don’t necessarily want to be waited on. They opened just in time for Lent, too (good call).
It’s a shame Meditrina closed, I never got a chance to try it out. The location wasn’t the best, though.
May 2nd, 2007 at 11:27 pm
You can let us hear your take on the blog before the 90 day period ends, though. You don’t have to publish a full review, just an overview of the place. Flying Fish is just OK, but my family is from Louisiana and I grew up on good seafood. It is not New Orleans quality, but it is decent for Memphis. The seafood they use is of moderate quality, which you would expect in the price range. I doubt the shrimp are Gulf. It is prepared reasonable well, but they need a lot more seasoning. You can tell them “make it snappy,” but that just means they pour spices on the top. They don’t actually cook the seafood in more spices. Red pepper poured over the top of crawfish doesn’t really help. Without “make it snappy,” the crawfish are the weakest seasoned I’ve ever tasted.
May 18th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
It doesn’t surprise me to hear that Meditrina closed. The food was tasty when I ate there, but served in VERY stingy portions for too-high prices. Something is wrong if I’m paying $30 for an entree that leaves me so unstatisfied I feel like stopping for a hamburger on the way home from the restaurant. (The sister restaurant Tsunami has similar prices, but while portion sizes are on the small side they’re not so ridiculously small that any customer would be left hungry afterwards.)
I’ve had the grouper at Flying Fish and thought it was pretty good. I’m not crazy about the restaurant setup (too warm and echo-y), but if you’re in the company of a group of friends who don’t mind very casual dining it could work out well.
5 comment.